Although he's been running regularly since 1977, Nolan Shaheed admits that he's still learning when it comes to training and racing. "One thing I've come to realize during the last few years is that you don't have to train like a madman to do well," says the 62-year-old, who broke the American 60-64 record for 3,000m outdoors in February with a 9:57.46. (He ran 9:55.03 indoors at age 60.) "I used to train like a madman, but I think I left a lot on the track in practice. I always felt that I should be completely exhausted when I finished a hard interval workout, like I couldn't do one more. But now I quit when I feel I have at least one more left in me."

Even though he bettered the American 3,000m record by nearly 14 seconds, Shaheed wasn't especially pleased with his effort. "I was going after the world record [9:29.47], but I fell off the pace on the third or fourth lap and backed off," he says. "My mind just wasn't in it after that. But that's another thing I've come to realize. If you go for a record, you're probably not going to get it. You've just got to go out there feeling fit and let the records come when they will."

A month earlier, at the Hartshorne Masters Mile in Ithaca, N.Y., Shaheed ran 4:50.95 to break his own indoor 60-64 world record; the time equates to a faster 3,000m than his 9:57.46 and led him to believe that the world record was possible. "There will be other opportunities," he shrugs, adding that his goal is to get every 60-64 outdoor and indoor world record on the books from 800m to 10,000m. In 2011, he set world 60-64 marks in the 800m (2:08.56) and 1500m (4:24.00), and was the world champion at 1500 outdoors (4:35.97).

Shaheed ran a little cross country in 10th grade, but gave it up because it conflicted with his band practice. (He's a professional trumpet player.) He didn't return to running until age 27, but running still took a back seat to work as a musician and musical director, jobs that kept him touring and unable to train regularly. Nonetheless, he did enough running to record a 1:51 half mile and 3:53.4 1500m during his pre-masters years. He didn't seriously hit the roads until he was 43, recording bests of 14:37 for 5K and 31:21 for 10K.

After turning 50, Shaheed set a number of indoor and outdoor world records, including a 4:26.75 indoor mile and a 1:58.65 outdoor 800m. After turning 55, he recorded 2:06.83 in the 800m and 4:27.9 in the mile, also outdoor world records.

"You know, it's only been in the last couple of years that I have begun to enjoy running more than music," he says. "There's nothing like the feeling you get from a good race."

After the end of the outdoor track season, Shaheed takes a month off from running of any kind, then runs 7-9 miles a day mostly on the roads through the rest of the year. During that phase of his training, he does no intervals or speed work, just 50-55 miles a week at around 7:00 mile pace.

"Ten to 15 years ago, I was doing as much as 18 miles at around 5:40 pace, but now I don't run as far or as fast," he says, "and it's not so much because of my age that I'm not doing so much. I just don't think you need to train that hard, unless you're looking to break some kind of training record. You read about guys like Prefontaine doing these really intense workouts, but I wonder if they might have done even better in their races if they hadn't pushed themselves so hard in training."

Around the first of the year, Shaheed begins preparing for track through the spring. During this period, his workouts look much like the box at right. "I do other variations in my interval training, but those two weeks were pretty standard," he says, adding that whether he's preparing for an 800 or 10K, his training is pretty much the same; he strives for a balance of speed and endurance that will permit him to excel at all race distances up to his self-prescribed ceiling of 10K.

Shaheed's reduced workload applies to the quality as well. "I'd do 20 quarters in 65 seconds each 10 to 15 years ago, but if I knew then what I know now, I'd have stopped at 12," he says.

Although he doesn't count miles, Shaheed estimates that he drops down from 50-55 to about 35 miles a week during the track season. However, to the extent that high mileage training helps burn calories and keeps the weight and body fat percentage down, Shaheed apparently doesn't need the mileage. When running, he eats only one meal a day with no snacks the rest of the day, just water. During his one-month off from running, he eats only one meal every other day. At 5-foot-9, his weight has remained at 123 pounds since his high school days. "But I have begun eating a little fat now and then, avocado and whole milk, that kind of thing, and I think it has helped me somewhat," he says. 'It's really hard to know for sure."

Almost 63, Shaheed is running times that would still win many high school races. "It's amazing," he says. "I still feel the same as 15 to 20 years ago and don't feel slower. It's just a matter of getting over the disappointment when you look at the clock."